This old farmhouse will be gone soon. Abandoned, and sitting on a tract of land soon to be developed. I’ve painted it many times. I drove past it recently and the huge lilac bush had not yet begun to leaf out, but when it does in a few weeks, it will compete for attention with the old property it has grown alongside for decades. “Lilac Cottage” 48 x 36
There’s an old house on Route 28 in Harwich that has long been abandoned. Many pass it every day without notice. It probably should be razed for safety reasons. I’ve painted it several times. Beneath the vines, overgrowth, and it’s overall decayed condition, the architecture is classic. The landscape around it is decades of growth, obscuring what was likely once a flat, wide open vista, which could potentially have could included a view of the ocean. “Distant Sea” 48 x 24 o/c.
The recent Nor’easter did a job on local beaches (and all up and down New England), washing away sand and dunes, bringing the high-tide line closer to seaside homes. Towns are dumping tons of sand and rebuilding dunes in time for the summer beachgoer onslaught. This place overlooks one of our local beaches, and was in the front lines of the storm, but made it through, as did the dune it sits on.”Duneside” 14 x 14
Today’s 70-degree NH weather (especially following last week’s nasty Nor’easter) makes summer feel that much closer… “Dune Walk” 36 x 24 o/c
We weathered the Nor’easter that hit New England this week. Lost power for a day and a half, and watched lawns and meadows return to winter white. But the weather’s feeling a bit like Spring again today, and the last of the snow and ice is disappearing, hopefully for good. “Spring Thaw” 40 x 30 o/c .
Summer is slowly approaching, and life (both human and plant) is beginning to return to the Cape. One of our local beaches is accessible by two small paths that winds through scrub oak, seagrass and bayberry bushes, connecting the beach to the main road leading to it. Visited that beach the other day, and on the return, headed down this path, as many more will do once summer arrives. “Sand Path” 20 x 16 o/c.
Whenever anyone asks where the subject of a piece is, I have to often dig deep to remember where. And even if I know, for instance in this piece, the actual location was somewhere up by Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire. But I don’t think that’s what they’re looking for, but rather they want to know if the composition is based on a real place. Answer is yes, and no. Compositions start with real places, but are then morphed by memory, addition and subtraction, and on-the-fly changes from the time a sketch is begun, to when the canvas is signed. In that sense, my compositions are fiction. “Calm Sea” 36 x 36 o/c.
I don’t remember where I saw this scene, but it’s similar to other rural farms where time and lack of use allows tress, shrubs and vines the opportunity to take over the landscape. When these trees were just saplings, it’s possible the inhabitant figured he’d mow them down one of these days, but never did. “Twin Pines” 24 x 24 o/c.
The barn across the street from the studio has been the subject of many paintings…from different angles, different light, and different perspectives. It sits at the top of a slope, and from that lower part of the meadow, the perspective looking up gives it this massive presence, and the sky becomes as much a subject as the barn itself. “Skyward” 36 x 36
Up here in New Hampshire, the low valleys and hollows of our local meadows collect rain in the fall, and when winter comes, freeze to form small frozen pools, which kids often use for ice skating. As Spring approaches, these begin to melt, and come summer, completely dry up…until next year. “Spring Ice” 40 x 30.
